BR112015000046B1 - AGRICULTURAL HARVESTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF RIDING A CABIN IN A CHASSIS OF AN AGRICULTURAL HARVESTING MACHINE - Google Patents

Abstract

summary “base for a cab of a harvester” a harvester, a chassis, a cab and at least one base coupling the cab to the chassis. the base has a first connecting part connected to the cab, a second connecting part connected to the chassis and a resilient member coupled to both the first connection part and the second connection part, the resilient member has a delineated opening therein.

Description

1. Field of the Invention [001] The present invention relates to agricultural combinations such as mower-mowers and, more particularly, to a cab assembly system used in such agricultural combinations.

2. Description of the Related Technique [002] An agricultural combination known as a "harvester-mower" is historically called this because it combines multiple harvesting functions, such as harvesting, chaffing, sorting and cleaning, with a single harvesting unit. An agricultural combination includes a mower that removes the harvest from a field, and a feeder housing that transports the harvest material to a chaff rotor. The threshing rotor rotates inside a perforated housing, which can take the form of adjustable hollows and performs a threshing operation at harvest to remove the grain. Once the grain is threshed it falls through the perforations in the hollows in a grain collector. From the grain collector the grain is cleaned using a cleaning system, and is then transported to a grain tank located in the agricultural compound. A cleaning fan blows air through the sieves to discharge the chaff and other debris towards the rear of the farm. Harvest material other than grain, such as chaff from the chaff section proceeds through a waste system, which can use a straw cutter to process the material other than grain and direct it out the back of the combined agriculture. When the grain tank is full, the agricultural combination is positioned adjacent to a vehicle into which the grain is to be unloaded, such as a semi-trailer, gravity box, straight bog, or similar; and an unloading system in the combined farm

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2/11 is triggered to transfer the grain into the vehicle.

[003] More particularly, a rotary system for threshing or separating includes one or more rotors which can extend axially (from front to rear) or transversely within the body of the agricultural combination, and which are partially or totally surrounded by a hollow perforated. The harvest material is threshed and separated by rotating the rotor inside the concavity. Thicker harvest material other than grain such as stems and leaves are transported to the rear of the farm and discharged back into the field. The separated grain, along with some finer harvest material other than grain such as chaff, dust, straw, and other crop residue are discharged through the hollows and fall into a grain collector where they are transported to a cleaning system . Alternatively, the grain and the finer harvest material other than grain can also fall directly into the cleaning system itself.

[004] A cleaning system also separates the harvest material that is grain from that which is not grain, and typically includes a fan directing an air flow stream up and back through vertically arranged screens that oscillate back and forth back. The airflow stream raises and transports the lighter harvest material that is not grain towards the rear end of the agricultural combination so that there is a discharge in the field. The clean grain, being heavier, and larger pieces of non-grain harvest material, which are not carried by the airflow stream, fall on a surface of a higher sieve (also known as a chaff sieve) through from which all the cleaned grain or a part of it passes to a lower sieve (also known as a sieve for cleaning). Harvest material that is grain and that is not grain that remains in the upper and lower screens is physically separated by the alternating action of the screens as the material moves backwards. Any material

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3/11 al of the harvest that is grain and / or that is not grain that remains on the upper surface of the upper sieve is discharged at the rear of the agricultural mix. The grain that falls through the bottom sieve reaches a collector at the bottom of the cleaning system, where it is carried forward in the direction of a worm for clean grain.

[005] The agricultural combination cabin is connected to the chassis or structure member of the agricultural combination with bases that have a unique vibration absorption characteristic. Many of the systems mentioned above cause vibrations in the agricultural mix in different frequency ranges. A problem with the prior art mounting system is that it is limited in its ability to efficiently reduce a range of vibrations transmitted to the cab.

[006] What is needed in the technique is a way to efficiently dampen vibrations to the cabin of the agricultural combination in multiple vibration bands.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [007] The present invention provides a system for assembling the cabin that uses a bilinear isomontage to reduce the transmission of vibration to the cabin.

[008] The invention in a form is directed to an agricultural harvesting machine having a chassis, a cab and at least a base coupling the cab to the chassis. The base has a first connection part connected to the cab, a second part connected to the chassis and a resilient member coupled to both the first connection part and the second connection part. The resilient member has an opening outlined within it.

[009] The invention in another form is directed to an assembly system for coupling a cabin to a chassis of an agricultural harvesting machine. The base of the mounting system has a first connection part connected to the cab, a second connection part connected to the chassis and a resilient member coupled to both the first connection part and the second connection part. The resilient member has an outlined opening within it.

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4/11 [010] The invention in yet another form is directed to a method of assembling a cabin on a chassis of an agricultural harvesting machine. The method includes the step of coupling the cab to the chassis with a resilient member having an opening outlined therein.

[011] An advantage of the present invention is that it increases the ease of assembly of the cabin for the agricultural combination.

[012] Another advantage of the present invention is that the transmission of vibration to the cabin is damped along two substantially linear displacement-force parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [013] The characteristics and advantages described above and other characteristics and advantages of this invention, and the way to arrive at them, will be more apparent and the invention will be better understood with reference to the following description of a modality of invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[014] Figure 1 is a side view of an embodiment of an agricultural harvester in the form of an agricultural combination that includes an embodiment of the cab assembly system of the present invention;

[015] Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a prior art cabin assembly system;

[016] Figure 3 is a schematic representation of a modality of the cabin assembly system of the present invention used in the agricultural combination of Figure 1;

[017] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a base used in the illusion-ending assembly system in Figures 1 and 3;

[018] Figure 5 is a schematic representation of a modality of a resilient member at the base of Figure 4 used in the assembly system of Figures

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5/11

1.3 and 4;

[019] Figure 6 is a schematic representation of the resilient member of Figure 5 in a compressed state; and [020] Figure 7 is an illustration of the rigidity of the assembly illustrated in Figures 3-

6.

[021] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts across the different views. The exemplification shown here illustrates one embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplification should not be seen as limiting the invention in any way.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [022] The terms "grain", "straw" and "refuse" are used primarily throughout this report for convenience, but it should be understood that these terms are not intended to be limiting. Thus, "grain" refers to that part of the harvest material that is threshed and separated from the disposable part of the harvest material, which is called harvest material that is not grain, MOG or straw. Harvest material not completely threshed is called "refuse". Also the terms "forward", "backward", "left" and "right", when used in connection with the combine harvester and / or components thereof are normally determined with reference to the forward direction of travel of the harvester, but here, too, they should not be construed as limiting. The terms “longitudinal” and “transversal” are determined with reference to the forward and backward direction of the combine harvester and should also not be considered as limiting.

[023] With reference now to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure 1, an agricultural harvester is shown which can be any vehicle for harvesting, but here, for convenience, it is shown in the form of an agricultural combination 10, which includes in general a chassis 12, wheels for contacting the ground 14 and 16, a mower 18, a feeder housing 20, an operator station 22, a system

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6/11 of threshing and separating 24, a cleaning system 26, a grain tank 28, and an auger for unloading 30.

[024] The front wheels 14 are larger float type wheels, and the rear wheels 16 are smaller wheels that can be steered. Driving force is selectively applied to the front wheels 14 through a power generator in the form of a diesel engine 32 and a transmission (not shown). Although agricultural combination 10 is shown including wheels, it should also be understood that agricultural combination 10 may include tracks, such as whole tracks or half tracks.

[025] Mower 18 is mounted in front of farm combination 10 and includes a cutter bar 34 to cut crops from a field during forward movement of farm combination 10. A rotating drum 36 feeds the crop into the mower. 18, and a double auger 38 feeds the crop cut laterally inward from each side towards the feeder housing 20. Feeder housing 20 carries the cut crop to the threshing and separating system 24, and is selectively vertically mobile using appropriate actuators, such as hydraulic cylinders (not shown).

[026] The threshing and separating system 24 is of the axial flow type, and generally includes a rotor 40 at least partially surrounded by a corresponding perforated concavity 42 and can be rotated within it. The cut crops are threshed and separated by rotating the rotor 40 within the hollow 42, and larger elements such as stems, leaves and the like are discharged from the rear of the agricultural combination 10. Smaller elements of the harvest material including material harvested in grain or no, including particles lighter than grain, such as tares, dust and straw, are discharged through perforations in the concavity 42.

[027] Grain that was separated by the threshing and separating set 24 falls into a grain collector 44 and is transported to the cleaning system 26. The cleaning system

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7/11 za 26 may include an optional pre-cleaning sieve 46, an upper sieve 48 (also known as a chaff sieve), a lower sieve 50 (also known as a cleaning sieve), and a fan for cleaning 52. The grain in sieves 46, 48 and 50 it is subjected to a cleaning action by the fan 52 which provides an air flow through the sieves to remove tares and other impurities such as grain dust, making this material sustainable by air for discharge by the straw unloader 54 of the agricultural combination 10. The grain collector 44 and the pre-cleaning sieve 46 swing back and forth to transport the harvested material and the finer, non-granulated material to the upper surface of the upper sieve 48. The upper sieve 48 and the lower sieve 50 are arranged vertically with each other, and also swing back and forth to spread the grain through the sieves 48, 50, while allowing the passage of clean grain by the action of gravity through the sieve openings 48, 50.

[028] The clean grain falls into a clean grain auger 56 positioned transversely below and in front of the lower sieve 50. The clean grain auger 56 receives clean grain from each sieve 48, 50 and from the bottom 58 of the cleaning system 26. The auger for clean grain 56 takes the clean grain sideways to a grain elevator 60 generally arranged vertically for transport in the grain tank 28. Scraps from cleaning system 26 fall into one 62 worm chute for refuse. Refuse is transported via worm to refuse 64 and return worm 66 to the upstream end of cleaning system 26 for repeated cleaning action. A pair of grain tank worms 68 at the bottom of the grain tank 28 takes the cleaned grain sideways into the grain tank 28 to the unloading auger 30 for unloading from the agricultural combination 10. A handling system residual material 70 distributes the residual material in the field.

[029] Figure 2 illustrates the prior art method of connecting the operator's cab

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8/11 rador 22 on the chassis 12 by means of four vertical bases (two being shown in profile), each one being resilient in nature. The assembly of these bases requires almost simultaneous alignment of the mounting hardware for the cab 22 and also for the chassis 12.

[030] With reference now again to Figure 3, an assembly system 72 is illustrated that includes vertical bases 74 and horizontal bases 76, with two of each, with only one of each being shown in profile. The bases 76 can be called horizontal bases 76 because the connection of bases 76 to the cabin 22 is by means of a horizontal connection, for example, a pin. This allows the cabin 22 to be first connected to bases 76 allowing a rotation of the cabin 22 for the alignment and installation of the bases 74.

[031] Referring now to Figure 4, a perspective view of a base 76 is shown. The base 76 includes a connecting part 78, a connecting part 80, and a resilient member 82. The connecting part 80 is illustrated as a hole through which a pin or other fastener will be inserted to connect a flange or set of flanges extending from the cab 22. The connecting part 78 is illustrated as a hole through which a pin can be used to retain assembly 76 to chassis 12. Other connection parts are also considered.

[032] Referring now again to Figures 5 and 6, there is shown schematically a resilient member 82 having an outlined opening 84 therein. The outlined opening 84 has a first side 86 and a second side 88. The combination of the resilience of the material of the resilient member 82 with the shape and position of the outlined opening 84 provides an insulation base with a distinct bilinear frequency response. To illustrate what happens when a force is applied, Figures 5 and 6 illustrate, respectively, absence of deviation and a deviation that bends the outlined opening 84. In Figure 6 sides 86 and 88 are almost in

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9/11 contact, which corresponds to the “knee” in Figure 7 which illustrates a transition between linear range 90 and linear range 92. Once sides 86 and 88 come into contact with each other the response from base 76 changes as a whole, in terms of the stiffness of the base 76. When a displacement of the cab 22 occurs this translates into a displacement of the connecting part 80 with respect to the chassis 12. While opening 84 is open a large displacement can occur in the range linear 92 with a resistance force that is lower along the initial displacement range, so when sides 86 and 88 come into contact with each other, the force-displacement characteristic changes to that of linear range 90. This allows better control of the vibration transmitted to the booth 22 and allows to attenuate the movement that could otherwise be transferred to the booth 22.

[033] The shapes of sides 86 and 88 are complementary because they come together when the resilient material undergoes a displacement. The shapes illustrated for sides 86 and 88 are arched, each being an arc with a different radius and the two arcs being cut. It is contemplated that different side profiles 86 and 88 can be formed to change the shape of the force-displacement curve shown in Figure

7. It is also considered that different numbers and locations of openings can be used to provide tuned performance on different geometric axes of transmission / absorption of vibration.

[034] The displacement-force characteristic shown in Figure 7 is translatable to the base 76 vibration transmission characteristics by vibration frequency bands.

[035] There are several excitations of mechanical vibration transferred to cabin 22 of the combined farm 10. The sources of vibration that can be transmitted to cabin 22 are those that emanate from a cleaning system agitator, a cutting mower knife. wheat, a threshing impeller, mower worms, tire tread, etc. The rubber base system of the cab is

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10/11 normally used to isolate such vibrations to achieve comfortable movement performance. Unfortunately, with the prior art system illustrated in Figure 2, it is very difficult to achieve good insulation using conventional rubber bases. The biggest challenge is that the agitation frequencies are distributed over a very wide range, which varies from a pair of Hz to very high frequencies. A rubber with less rigidity is required to isolate lower frequency agitations. For example, in order to isolate the tremor from the cleaning system of the agricultural combination at 4Hz, the rubber stiffness needs to be designed so that the natural frequency of the cabin is well below 4Hz. Only a rubber with very low stiffness can achieve this requirement. But soft rubber produces greater movement when a tire hits an obstacle. This movement is not acceptable, so the stiffness of the base has to be designed with a greater stiffness. The present invention solves this problem by producing the resilient base 76 with two different degrees of stiffness.

[036] The stiffness of the resilient member 82 in the linear range 90 isolates the lower frequencies. The stiffness of the resilient member 82 in the linear range 92 controls the wide movements of the cabin. This bilinear stiffness is achieved by placing the opening 84 inside the resilient member 82. Under less displacement, the opening 84 is open, and as a result the base 76 has a lower stiffness. Under large displacement, the opening is closed and the base 76 exhibits a higher stiffness. The size of the opening is important because it controls the intensity of the deflection. The greater the opening, the greater the movement of the cabin. The stiffness of the base in the lower frequency range is controlled by the stiffness of the rubber and the void 84. The stiffness of the base in the high frequency range is controlled only by the stiffness of the rubber. The use of the bilinear rubber base of the invention produces a better performance for the operator in the cab 22 without major movements of the cab 22.

[037] The two horizontal bases 76 at the rear of cabin 22 have the van

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11/11 tages for an easier step to adjust the cab and easier installation of the cab 22 in the agricultural compound 10. The base 76 also reduces the manufacturing cost of the agricultural combination 10, since the rear base 76 allows to the cabin 22 rotate around the rear base 76, the front base 74 is dominant in controlling the pitch mode of the movement of the cabin 22. It is advantageous to select only the stiffness of the front base 74 to avoid pitch vibration due to the tremor caused by the cleaning system shaker at about 4Hz. In the prior art assembly system, both the front and rear bases have to be determined to achieve this single goal.

[038] The mounting system 72 of the invention allows for easier assembly of the cabin 22 in the agricultural combination 10. For example, on the assembly floor, rear bases 76 are mounted first. Once the rear bases 76 are assembled, the cabin 22 is rotated around the peg of the rear bases 76 to allow easy assembly of the front bases 74. For the conventional system, shown in Figure 2, the vertical bases of the cabin 4 have to be assembled in the combined farm at the same time. It is difficult to align all 4 bases on the base supports at the same time. Sometimes, cabin 22 needs to be removed from farm combination 10 for repair purposes. The assembly of the booth 22 of the invention makes it much easier to remove the booth 22 from the agricultural combination 10 and re-assemble the booth 22 therein.

[039] Although this invention has been described with respect to at least one modality, the present invention can be modified still within the spirit and scope of that disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. In addition, this application is intended to cover these departures from the present disclosure as they come against known or customary practice in the technique to which this invention belongs and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.

Claims (12)

1. Agricultural harvesting machine (10), CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises: a chassis (12); a cabin (22); and at least one base (76) coupling said cabin (22) to said chassis (12), said minimum base (76) including: a first connection part (78) connected to said cabin (22); a second connection part (80) connected to said chassis (12); and a resilient member (82) coupled to both said first connecting part (78) and said second connecting part (80), said resilient member (82) including an outlined opening (84). 2. Machine (10) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said outlined opening (84) extends substantially through said resilient member (82). Machine (10) according to claim 2, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said outlined opening (84) extends completely through said resilient member (82). 4. Machine (10), according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said outlined opening (84) is configured to provide said minimum base (76) with a first stiffness in a first range of vibration frequencies and a second stiffness in a second range of vibration frequencies. 5. Machine (10) according to claim 4, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said first stiffness is substantially linear by said first vibration frequency range and said second stiffness is substantially linear by said second vibration frequency range . Petition 870190066177, of 12/07/2019, p. 21/24 2/3 6. Machine (10), according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said opening (84) has a first side (86) and a second side (88), said first side (86) being complementary to the said second side (88). 7. Machine (10) according to claim 6, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said first side (86) has an arc shape having a first radius, said second side (88) being arc shaped having a second ray, said first and second rays being different. 8. Machine (10), according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said minimum base (76) is configured so that the opening (84) is positioned on said resilient member (82) so that a movement below said cabin (22) causes said opening (84) to vary in shape. 9. Machine (10) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said minimum base (76) includes a first base and a second base, both said first base and said second base being coupled to a portion rear of said cabin (22), said first base and said second base being configured to allow rotation of said cabin (22) about said first base and said second base. 10. Machine (10), according to claim 9, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it also comprises at least one front base coupled between a front portion of said cabin (22) and said chassis (12), said minimum base having a different stiffness profile than said first base and said second base. 11. Method of assembling a cabin (22) on a chassis (12) of an agricultural harvesting machine (10), the method CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises the stage of: couple the cabin (22) to the chassis (12) with a resilient member (82) having Petition 870190066177, of 12/07/2019, p. 22/24 3/3 an outlined opening (84) in it. 12. Method according to claim 11, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said outlined opening (84) is configured to provide said resilient member (82) with a first stiffness in a first range of vibration frequencies and a second stiffness in a second range of vibration frequencies.